The alternative to nuclear power is fossil fuel (coal or natural gas), not wind or solar. The reason is that new firm demand for electricity can only be met by firm supply, called “dispatchabe”, not by intermittant wind and solar. Think of getting to an elevator and waiting for the wind to blow or sun to shine before the power gets to the electric motor lifitng you to your floor.

And the world needs more electricity for two reasons: population growth and upward mobility. There are currently 6 billion people in the world and there will be 7 billion not too far off. Of the current population only 2 billion have adequate electricity, 2 billion have inadequate services and the rest have no electricity at all. In the next decade 700 million people will enter the middle class demanding additional energy services for basics of electricity and transportation.

Reliance on fossil fuels in the future will also exacerbate the greenhouse gas / climate change problem. So, we must think very hard about any abandonment of the nuclear power option.